


and let fire reign

by iidiiot



Series: world jump au (discontinued) [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Mentioned Dream, mentioned badboyhalo, mentioned punz, mentioned sapnap, part of the world jump au, rated teen for language and other potential minor triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26922382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iidiiot/pseuds/iidiiot
Summary: wilbur remembers a lot of things now.perhaps some of the most striking memories he has now are those of fundy's betrayal.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Eret & Floris | Fundy, Eret & Wilbur Soot, Floris | Fundy & Jschlatt, Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: world jump au (discontinued) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962631
Comments: 8
Kudos: 251





	and let fire reign

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i hadn't expected to get another part out so soon but here it is! this is once again part of the world jump au, created by me! there are major spoilers for the first part ("world walker"), so if you haven't read that yet, i would recommend reading that first. it won't be completely a completely confusing read if you haven't read the first part, but it definitely explains some things.
> 
> (as a side note, this is my interpretation of fundy's betrayal. criticism is welcome, as is discussion!)
> 
> secondly, all of these relationships are written to be platonic. however, interpretation is up to you, the reader, in the end.
> 
> lastly, if you want to talk about this au with me, i'm always very happy to discuss it! my tumblr is @ii-iidiiot.

memories are still fuzzy to wilbur. he remembers, but it's just like anyone would. he knows about it all, but sometimes he only really remembers it when something brings it up somehow. it had been awhile since he'd told the others about his memories, since he'd remembered, and he still wasn't used to filtering out what was old and what was new when he spoke. all of it seemed new to him, even if he knew it came from previous worlds.

of course, the most recent world, prior to this one, is the freshest in his mind. it was hell-- it was war torn. there was death, destruction, corruption. but there was also unity and peace, fun and times of laughter. he still mixes things up sometimes, with these more recent memories. he swears he sees tommy dressed in a blue and white uniform, but when he double takes, the blond is dressed in his usual red and white shirt. occasionally, when he looks up at their walls, he sees the wood and stone replaced with black and yellow.

sometimes he even mixes up people. his friends here, while they share similarities with their former lives, are much, much different. tommy, while still brash and loud, is much less combative than his memories recall. tubbo, much more reserved but much less on edge. niki seems to worry less now than before. eret.. eret is much easier going. much less worried over material and power. schlatt is far, far less power hungry. techno much more relaxed.

this leads him to fundy. he seems the most-- normal, is the only way wilbur can think to put it. he acts much like he did in his past life. it drives him to keep an eye on the half-fox. surely, this is the way they're all supposed to act. but fundy seemed no different from their last world, not like his other friends did.

it's through keeping an eye on him that wilbur begins to notice things. when he thinks no one is looking, fundy's near constant grin will drop. that same grin grows tighter whenever he's cut off or ignored. he thinks to approach him but fundy notices he's being watched. he begins to draw away from the group almost seamlessly, as if through instinct.

it dredges up memories. these sorts of things always do. wilbur is reminded of pain and panic as schlatt exiles him and tommy from l'manburg. the gasps and outrage and general fear as he and tommy are pursued, chased out with force and left to die. wilbur is reminded of betrayal as schlatt turns tubbo and fundy against him, when schlatt arrests niki. wilbur is reminded of relief when tubbo announces he is going to spy for them and when eret asks to help them.

wilbur is reminded of fire, of screams and sobs as the flag of their country-- reigning high above everything else, burns. everyone can see it and he knows that's why fundy did it. it casts a menacing image in the setting sun, a fiery cut across the horizon. somehow, this one action hurts more than anything schlatt had ever done. he remembers being heartbroken, trying to help eret comfort niki as she watches hours of her work burn away. the flag is gone within the hour, smoke still spiraling into the sky. fundy doesn't even seem to express any regret, not even a sorry. a new flag is being hung in its place not too long later, exactly the same aside from one color.

tommy is outraged. wilbur expected nothing less. he rants and raves and shouts until he wears himself out and slumps to the floor of their ravine. tubbo seems.. resigned. he only sighs and buries his head in his arms. niki is heartbroken, though it seems to stem more from fundy's betrayal than anything. wilbur.. well, wilbur doesn't know what to feel. he feels rather empty. on one hand, this was fundy. this was his son. he wanted so desperately to believe that he hadn't done so willingly, that schlatt had put him up to it and forced his hand. he knows it isn't true, and that fundy had done so of his own accord-- tubbo tells him as much. as angry as he wants to be, wilbur can't find it in himself to be. he feels tired, more than anything.

eret's anger is far different than tommy's. his is quieter, more dangerous. while tommy spouted words of violence and told you exactly what he planned to do to you, with the means to back it up-- eret didn't say a word. he left you paranoid and anxious, looking over your shoulder and around every corner for whatever it is he could be planning. his anger bubbles just under the surface and his shows in his clenched fists, tight expression, and the way he carries himself.

he is the first l'manburgian to run into fundy after the flag burns. he leaves one morning, seething, repressed anger, and comes back later that afternoon with muted, dull exhaustion. tommy gets to him first,

"what the hell happened to you?" the youngest blond asks, face pulled into a frown. he pauses in his work and stares as the brunet slinks into the ravine.

"i talked with fundy--" that's all he gets out before tommy is off again, all curses and harsh anger,

"that fuckin' traitor? what did he want? what the hell did he tell you to get you so fucking depressed all the sudden?" the blond spouts, pacing back and forth with the loud clink of his armor, hands thrown around in his rage.

eret only shakes his head, eyes hidden by his sunglasses, and sinks against the wall. "i was a traitor not that long ago," he says instead of explaining, and that gives tommy pause.

wilbur's second-in-command fumbles momentarily, but he's always quick to words. "well, yeah! but dream can be really fucking persuasive when he wants to be, that green bastard. but to turn against us for schlatt, of all people?" tommy looks near feral, teeth bared. "every word out of his mouth is bullshit and everyone knows it. tubbo is only there to be a spy and he only does what schlatt tells him to stay on his good side. but fundy? fundy burned the fucking flag for no reason and he's stood by schlatt's side like a loyal fucking dog. no wonder he gets called a damn furry, he sure is acting like some dumb lapdog.."

wilbur's head snaps in their direction from across the ravine and his fingers clench. "tommy. quit it," he forces out instead.

"look, wil, i get that he's your son and all, but--" tommy silences when eret kicks his shin, though the blond doesn't look particularity happy about it. his arms cross petulantly and he practically growls.

"so, eret? what.. what did fundy tell you?" wilbur asks. the other brunet only lowers his head, limbs hanging heavy, and sighs. his lips pull tight and he exhales a sigh,

"can't say."

"why not? don't tell me you're going to go traitor again just because of what the fucking furry said to you--" tommy spits. the blond physically recoils when it's tubbo-- of all people-- to stand and shove him back against the wall.

"wilbur said to quit it, tommy," the youngest brunet mutters before he stalks out of the ravine. tommy has never looked so shocked before. wilbur sighs, shares a look with eret, and goes back to work.

he knows fundy and schlatt talking on their radio channel is intentional. they talk about a multitude of things, until schlatt announces his plans to promote fundy. the half-fox practically grovels at the dictator's feet, evident even over the radio-- much to tommy's immediate displeasure. it's difficult to prevent tommy from cutting in with an insult. but wilbur can't help it when he protests.

"you can't promote him. he's too young. there's still so much he needs too learn--"

schlatt cuts in, "oh, no. i think he deserves a promotion." wilbur makes to respond again but fundy cuts him off,

"wilbur, i'm going to need you to shut up."

hes stumbles back into a wall out of shock and he can't stop himself from speaking, tommy looking nothing short of furious. "fundy, don't speak to me like that. i'm your fath--"

"fundy, what is wilbur to you?" schlatt interrupts. wilbur can practically hear the grin in his voice.

"nothing-- he's.. he's someone who raised me. that's all." the half-fox says. wilbur feels something in his heart shatter. tommy reaches for his radio but the brunet presses an arm over his chest to hold him back, even as his own radio clatters to the stone and he slides to the floor. he can't even hear anything more than muffled chatter as he clamps his hands over his ears. when he's able to shake himself out of it, out of his shock, tommy is sitting beside him against the wall. he still looks beyond pissed, but the blond only hands him his radio, switched off, and rises.

he wants to thank the younger boy but he can't seem to find his voice. tommy only glances at him as he stalks off. "go to sleep or something, wilbur. you're tired." it's a demand rather than a suggestion and normally he would tell tommy off for insubordination, but he can't find the energy to argue or do anything more than stumble into bed.

it isn't too long before they get another chance to meet fundy. he, tommy, eret, and niki are walking through dream's territory on their way to get some supplies. techno hardly left the ravine anymore. it should be concerning. it was concerning. but wilbur was too caught up with building pogtopia. dream had been extremely cooperative, giving them supplies and entry into his territory. he honestly wasn't sure where they'd be without the masked man.

they had expected to see someone along the way. punz or sapnap, bad maybe. maybe even schlatt or quackity. but fundy? wilbur had been hoping he'd never have to face his son again. it must show on his face, for tommy steps in front if him the moment they spot fundy coming up the path toward them. the half-fox stops in his tracks and wilbur takes the time to get a good look at him.

he seems tired and worse for wear. a twisted part of him says 'good. he deserves it.' wilbur hates that part of himself immensely. he's no longer in his uniform but he'd expected as much. he looks almost scared of them as tommy draws his sword and niki's fists clench. then his eyes harden again and that moment of weakness is gone, almost as if it had never existed in the first place. it makes his chest hurt to think that his son-- terrified and sweet and loyal-- is still in there somewhere, hidden behind this mask of cold indifference.

"fundy," eret greets, words clipped. he doesn't seem angry with him. he hasn't since they talked that one time. if anything, he glances at his companions, at tommy and niki, and tenses. this is the closest he thinks he's ever seen eret to truly nervous.

"eret--" the half-fox makes to respond, but that seems to be all it takes to set tommy off.

"what the fuck, fundy?" the blond screams, gesturing wildly. "what the actual fuck, you absolute fucking traitor! what the fuck were you thinking, you goddamn asshole? how the hell could you do that to niki? how could you do this to us?" wilbur sees the flash of change in fundy's eyes but can't stop tommy from speaking fast enough. "how could you do this to wilbur?"

he almost expects fundy to continue cowering as he had been, wishes he had. but the half-fox straightens and he's moving, teeth bared and eyes so purely angry that even tommy's anger seems to be snuffed out in comparison. they're all so badly startled that none of them act, even when fundy pulls to a stop a few blocks from them,

"how-- how could i do this?" he laughs, almost hysterically, as if this is the funniest thing he's ever heard. then his expression drops, wild and feral and everything that wilbur's never seen him be before. "how could i do this to you? at least schlatt treats me like a valuable asset. i worked my ass off to help provide for l'manburg and you all constantly brushed me off! i finally took a stand for myself when sapnap killed fungi and you all told me i was being childish! what else did you want from me? what-- were you expecting me not to be pissed? to sit down and take all this shit like a good little furry?"

he steps forward and jabs a finger into tommy's chestplate. the blond stumbles back into wilbur, even though fundy couldn't have possibly shoved that hard. "so don't pull that 'how could you do this to us?', mightier than thou bullshit. you started this. all of you did. i'm so tired of putting up with people blowing me off and ignoring me just because i'm the general's 'son'. in case none of you remember, i'm older than tommy and tubbo. and even what they said and did got acknowledge more than anything i could ever do for any of you."

fundy steps back then. tommy is shellshocked, mouth open and eyes massive. he isn't used to people retorting as harshly as fundy had, it seems. niki looks.. her expression can't seem to settle as she struggles to decide how to feel. eret is only staring. he looks saddened, even with his sunglasses hiding his eyes. the half-fox simmers for a moment longer before he turns away. he pauses, glances over his shoulder.

"maybe i am a little sorry about burning niki's flag like that. but it got my point across, didn't it?" fundy says. his mouth twists into a smile, all too similar to one of schlatt's crooked grins. then he's off, striding purposefully down the path. the further he gets from them, however, the more his shoulders seem to fall and he shrinks into himself a little.

wilbur is running, shoving his way between niki and tommy, before he realizes he's moving. "fundy!" he shouts, gasps, and plants a hand on his son's shoulder.

"what, wilbur?" the response is snappy, but fundy's voice is soft and oddly sad.

"i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i should have been a better father-- a better general." wilbur pants. he feels winded as his pulse skyrockets.

"you should have been. but it's too late now. and.." he sees fundy hesitate for a moment. "i'm sorry, too." his voice rises in volume now, something near a shout as he says, "now fuck off." he jerks his shoulder out of wilbur's grip and stalks off.

the others catch up with him, stood in the middle of the path. when tommy starts to talk about the supplies they still need, wilbur only shakes his head. he can't. he doesn't have the energy. eret cuts off the blond's protests before he can even start, grabbing wilbur by the shoulder.

"you two go get those supplies. i'll take him back and meet up with you afterward," the other man says. he doesn't wait for a response, steering the former back toward their ravine.

wilbur thinks that if any of them understand how he feels about fundy, it would be eret. he also thinks that if any of them understood how fundy feels, it would be eret too. so he lets the other brunet settle him in the ravine without protest and manages to thank him as he leaves again, to meet up with tommy and niki.

techno only sighs tiredly when he comes out from their farm and spots him in bed. the half-pig's intuition has always frightened him, but it certainly does now. "fundy, huh?" he asks. it must show in his heavy eyes, his drawn shoulders, his fidgeting. wilbur doesn't give a response and techno only hums knowingly. "kids are too much work," he comments, wheeling himself around to get back to his farm.

wilbur remembers this all too well. he casts fundy a heavy look from across the fire. the only thing he could never wiggle himself out of was meeting at the fire every night.

the half-fox is drenched in the light of the fire, eyes bright and face shadowed. he paints a picture, bathed in sparks and smoke. he imagines this is almost what fundy looked like when he burned the l'manburg flag. power and strength, the epitome of a fiery rage. catching his eyes, fundy heaves a faux yawn and rises. "i'm tired, guys. i'm going to head to bed."

wilbur waits until he disappears into the dark to stand. niki, beside him, shoots him a curious look. "i'll be right back." she doesn't question him-- none of them do-- as he follows after him.

fundy is nowhere to be seen, so he must be inside already. wilbur goes to knock but the door swings open before he can. fundy looks too worn down for how peaceful their new world is. "what do you want, wilbur?" he asks, voice low.

"i can't let you draw away from us, fundy. don't think i haven't noticed." he tells him.

fundy only sighs. "what if i have been, wilbur? what then?"

"you've done this before. you were so angry.. so hurt.. we care for you. all of us love you. you're.. you're my son." he knows fundy won't remember but he can't help it. the memories were still fresh, a raw wound on his heart.

something in fundy's expression twitches minutely, as if he wants to remember something but can't. then his smile spreads hesitantly. "okay, wilbur. i just.. sometimes i feel so unnecessary. all of you have your specialties, and then there's me."

wilbur's face lights up and he gives a sly smirk, "have you tried out music yet?"

fundy cocks his head to one side. "no. should i? was i any good at it?"

"you were great, fundy. you should really give it a shot. piano. that was your thing." slowly, fundy is beginning to brighten.

"i'll keep that in mind. thanks, wilbur." he copies wilbur's smirk. "you should totally tell me stories about the old me. i sounded cool."

it only takes fundy flashing puppy eyes to get wilbur to break. "okay," he relents. "and you were very cool, i'll give you that."

fundy leads him into his house and wilbur spends the night telling him stories of their old world. he tries to avoid the negative ones but it's difficult not to. fundy seems to enjoy them regardless, though, so wilbur gives in and tells him them too.

he doesn't remember falling asleep, but he and fundy are sprawled across fundy's carpet when he wakes. the half-fox is curled up and snuffling softly into his arms. wilbur doesn't have the heart to wake him, smile huge as he stands up, brushing himself off. rather than leaving, he finds a chair and a book off of one of his bookshelves, settling down to read and wait for him to wake up.

man, did this bring back memories.

**Author's Note:**

> the final word count is somewhere around 3k.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed! :)


End file.
